When my father was 82 (Summer 2001) unbeknownst to me, he went out and bought a 1983 VW Westfalia Camper. This van recently had an engine overhaul, but was making a knocking noise. So, I brought the van to my farm, parked it in the barn and we pulled the engine out to investigate. Minor problem... all I had to do was replace a hydraulic lifter.
I can't count how many VW engines my dad pulled in our garage back in El Paso.
Man did I learn about engines when I was a kid, but my dad remained the mechanic in the family. My father retired flying jets all over the world and he was also a licensed "A&P" mechanic. When I was a sophomore in high school, I got a used 1965 Mustang and he rebuilt the engine in our garage at home. He would go on to rebuilding two airplane engines in later years... You should have seen the projects in between! Boats, trucks, dune buggies, home-made motor cycles... It was "pay-back time" and I decided to rebuild my 80 year-old father's NASTY Westfalia Camper.
After pulling the engine, I tackled the interior. The insides were so nasty, no way I was going to let my old-man ride around or go camping in an ugly VW Westy, so I gutted the interior, fixed all the dents, re-primed the van and put a new paint job on it and installed a new tent.
Fortunately, this van spent it's life in Southern New Mexico and West Texas, a dry region of the USA and it didn't have any rust, not a single speck. It did have dozens of small dents that I had to fix.
I also installed new seat covers, new carpet and new chrome front and rear bumpers and I pulled the roof off to install a new canvas tent. What a project this was! It took me 2 months, but my 7 dogs seemed to enjoy watching.
A little more than two months later, my dad had a Westy Camper with a custom paint job that looked like it just came out of the showroom... He only drove it for a short time and was diagnosed with colon cancer.
The Westy was sold to a nice Airman at nearby Dyess Air Force Base, and I still see it running around town, 7 years after my rebuild.
I only hope when I am 82 years old, I'll have half the energy, gumption and drive my dad did... People from this age group indeed are what Tom Brokaw called, "The Greatest Generation" and my father also epitomized the book, "A Father Is For Spending Time With."
Tags: VW Bus Camper Westy repair